strange case. am i being too trusting?

[rosierjay]

there is a seller in the UK that has well over 3,000 positive feedback.
well he sells large lots of coins, so the shipping is very high.
i asked him if he ever sold smaller portions, been wanting one of each of old British coins.
so woke up the next day and he had created an auction just for me.
but it was under a new account. one that is only a week old, and i can't find the auction by searching, but from what i can tell it's a legitimate ebay auction.

i really want the set of coins and i think it's very kind that he made the special auction.
am i being too trusting?

the price is reasonable, but the shipping is still high, but its overseas, so i can understand that. the price of the coins is super great. any suggestions?

[Rosencrantz]

Well... it looks like he made that auction hidden and new so that it could be a private one just for you. I'd take it, but I'm also incredibly trusting.

[ponyqueen]

Why would he create an auction instead of just selling to you? I guess it keeps it more legitimate? Rather than going behind closed doors... sounds like it might be okay. I'd establish some strong communication through email before bidding, just to see if any red flags pop up.

[Baby Sugarberry]

If the contact was through ebay, then the seller has to make an auction rather than selling directly - doing otherwise is a violation of ebay's selling terms, because it cuts them out of their final value/listing fees I'd imagine.  I'm not sure why it'd be listed on a new account, but the best thing to do is just ask - and pay through something that'll get you a refund if it goes south. 

[hathorcat]

I completely get being paranoid over that! However, it is possible that if he is a well known and reputable seller if he created a smaller auction on his widely known account it could be pounced on and purchased by someone else who peruses his auctions. Hence he sets something up through a different account which would not necessarily be followed by collectors.

All that said, if everything is being done through ebay - if you are buying through ebay and making your payment through paypal - you are going to be protected. So perhaps its worth the small risk?

[Sarah-Bee]

I've had someone set an auction up for me in the past so that part's fine. I wouldn't worry about the second account either, he might have created a new account to get more free listings. If you pay with paypal then you're covered and will get your money back if things go wrong so I say go for it

[FantasticFirefly]

I'm thinking, if he posted on his main account then too many people who follow him as a seller would ask for the same kinds of custom lots. I'm assuming he made a special exception for you. He is doing everything above board, and not simply selling you items outside of ebay.

[rosierjay]

thanks everyone! you set my mind at ease!
so excited!! i love foreign coins, and i'm finally getting a complete british set. sell except a half farthing, but i have another source for that. 
i'll let yall know if anything go south.

[Tap Dancer]

I would be happy if someone made an auction for me rather than just offer to sell it. This way, you're protected by eBay. Go for it! You'll get your money back if anything goes wrong.

[Ringlets]

*is in agreement with everyone else*    
 i think its fine - you're protected anyways if it happened to be a no show with your coins -  but  he prolly did it for you to make sure that none of the others following him snatched it first - which sometimes happens when its a popular seller/someone who sells a lot of stuff